The UBC Faculty Association is grieving the termination, saying that Boyd’s report found all the allegations unsubstantiated except for one, and it was not the most serious allegation. An arbitration process is expected to begin in March.

More writers and artists added their names to the letter after its publication, such as David Cronenberg. But there was also a backlash against it on social media. Many other writers and CanLit fans felt the open letter supported Galloway at the expense of the complainants in the case, and that it would have a silencing effect on people going forward.

People tweeted their displeasure to Atwood, who actively defended signing the letter. “I am against secret accusations and secret trials,” she said in one tweet. “Better process needed.”

: I don't know any of them including G. I am against secret accusations and secret trials. Better process needed.

Canadian author Michael Redhill said on Facebook that the letter should be withdrawn, as “it’s not a call for justice, it’s a cry of pain” on the part of those who know Galloway. He added he saluted “all of the writers who signed the letter to UBC about Steven Galloway (mainly out of love), those who opposed the wording of the letter, and finally, those who listened, reflected, and removed their names from it.”

Toronto writer Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer was one of those who removed her name from the open letter. “I signed it in the spirit of an open and honest inquiry and regret not being more sensitive to how its wording could cause harm,” she said in a Facebook post. “I stand for truth and justice. I support complainants in equal measure to those who stand accused of sexual crimes or institutional misdemeanours.”

Still others defended the letter. Hart Hanson, creator of the Bones TV series and one of the writers who signed the letter, said on Twitter that he disagreed the letter was intended to silence people. “It’s a clear demand for UBC to repair a flawed process so that victims can regain the confidence to speak up.”

I respectfully disagree. It's a clear demand for UBC to repair a flawed process so that victims can regain the confidence to speak up. https://t.co/0LC0ttHHXA

Victoria writer Lee Henderson, who also signed the open letter, tweeted “Confused why it’s wrong to stand up for right of accused to due process. W/o Magna Carta we are authoritarians who stone to death in public.”

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Full text of “An Open Letter To UBC: Steven Galloway’s Right To Due Process“

On November 18th, 2015, the Dean of Arts of the University of British Columbia released a public memorandum announcing the suspension of Professor Steven Galloway from his position as Chair of the Creative Writing Program, pending the investigation of “serious allegations”. The memo went on to encourage students who had concerns about their “safety and well-being” to seek support through UBC’s counselling services.

This memo was followed up by numerous print, radio and television interviews by the Dean of Arts and representatives of the University, although the “allegations” were unsubstantiated and unexamined and Professor Galloway himself was not provided with any details as to the allegations or the complainants. These actions cast a cloud of suspicion over Professor Galloway and created the impression that he was in some way a danger to the university community.

This impression has been amplified in the public sphere, severely damaging Professor Galloway’s reputation and affecting his health. The University has not, however, made any allegations public, citing privacy concerns. No criminal charges were laid against Professor Galloway at the time. None has been laid since.

In December 2015, the University commissioned former BC Supreme Court Judge Mary Ellen Boyd to undertake an independent investigation of the allegations against Professor Galloway. In June of 2016, subsequent to the investigation, the University terminated Professor Galloway’s employment without severance and without reference to the original allegations.

The University has refused to make the findings of Justice Boyd’s report public, and appears to have misrepresented the findings of the report in its public statement issued June 22, 2016. Both a statement from the UBC Faculty Association and the report of an independent journalist who had access to the Boyd report have since revealed that all but one of the allegations investigated, including the most serious one, were unsubstantiated.

The University then claimed that other allegations unrelated to the subject of Justice Boyd’s investigation were involved in its decision to terminate Professor Galloway’s employment. It has not, however, made a clear public statement to this effect, nor has it apologized for the harm its previous actions have done to Professor Galloway’s reputation.

Professor Galloway himself has been denied the right to speak publicly while his case is being grieved. The University’s willingness to allow the suspicions it has created to continue to circulate is surprising and appears to be contrary to the principles of fairness and justice that should guide any distinguished academic institution.

The University’s conduct in this matter is of great concern. We, the undersigned, respect the principle of protection for individuals who wish to bring complaints. We also respect the right of an accused to fair treatment. There is growing evidence that the University acted irresponsibly in Professor Galloway’s case. Because the case has received a great deal of public attention, the situation requires public clarification.

We therefore request that the University of British Columbia establish an independent investigation into how this matter has been handled by the Creative Writing Program, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and the senior administration at UBC.

We are not requesting that privacy be violated and understand that there are grievance proceedings in process. Justice, however, requires due process and fair treatment for all, which the University appears to have denied Professor Galloway.

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